Some computers use multiple processors and even different type of processors to improve application performance. For example, computers often include a central processing unit (CPU) and a graphics processing unit (GPU). Various interconnects have been used to provide communication between the multiple processors. However, as the processing speed of processors continues to increase, so does the need for improved interconnects.
A high speed serial link is one type of interconnect that is used to communicate between the various processors and devices of a computer. As such, high speed serial links are often used for inter-device communication on circuit boards. Before communicating at a high speed, a high speed serial link requires careful training and calibration before it is able to successfully transmit data. During the training process, communication between the transmitter and the receiver is difficult since the link has not been trained.